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About

Conor McGann is a leading figure in autonomous robotics, whose work bridges the gap between high-level planning and robust real-world execution. His research centers on developing integrated frameworks for situated autonomous systems, with major contributions in mobile manipulation and underwater vehicle control. McGann’s most influential work, "Autonomous door opening and plugging in with a personal robot" (176 citations), demonstrated a complete, reliable system for a robot navigating offices, opening doors, and self-docking for recharging—a landmark achievement in long-term autonomy. He also pioneered the systematic agent framework for situated autonomous systems (79 citations), formalizing the sense-plan-act cycle for managing information flow and consistency. In underwater robotics, his adaptive control work (77 citations) unified planning, probabilistic state estimation, and execution using constraint-based temporal plans, enabling cost-effective ocean exploration. As a key contributor to NASA’s EUROPA2 planning framework, he advanced temporal constraint handling for complex missions. McGann’s work on the Teleo Reactive Executive (T-REX) for MBARI’s AUVs showcases his impact on real-time autonomous decision-making, making him a pivotal figure in both terrestrial and marine robotics.